Rotary piston internal combustion engine



Se t. 27, 1966 H. ABERMETH ROTARY PISTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 23, 196.3

In venzor: xeef/ w Sept. 27, 1966 H. ABERMETH 3,274,980

ROTARY PISTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Aug. 23, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ing) 15(tors ion United States Patent 3,274,980 ROTARY PISTGN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Hubert Aberrneth, Cologne, Germany, assignor to Kloclrner-Humboldt-Deutz Aktiengesellschaft, Cologne, Germany Filed Aug. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 313,405

Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 31, 1962,

K 47,622 7 Claims. (Cl. 123-8) The present invention relates to a rotary piston internal combustion engine in which the piston journalled on an eccentric is kinematically controlled relates to the inner confining surface of a housing or enveloping body by a plurality of gear sets comprising two pinions journalled in the eccentric and respectively meshing with teeth on the piston and teeth on the housing or enveloping body.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a rotary piston internal combustion engine in which the power transmission will be distributed over all pinions as uniformly as possible.

It is another object of this invention to provide a rotary piston internal combustion engine of the type set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which axially aligned pinions will automatically move relative to each other if one of these pinions is under overload with regard to the other pinion.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the piston of a rotary piston internal combustion engine and a portion of the parts adjacent said piston.

FIG. 2 illustrates a section along the line 11-11 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates on a somewhat larger scale than FIG. 1 a portion of the left-hand side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 represents a view of the gear sets as seen in the direction of the arrow 4 of section line IVIV in FIG. 3.

The present invention is characterized primarily in that the pinions of each gear set are interconnected by torsion spring means. While the torsion spring means connection between the pinions of each gear set may be of any desired type, the provision of a torsion rod as torsion spring means has proved highly successful. With such an arrangement, the pinions of each gear set are interconnected by a torsion rod spring. For purposes of simplifying the structure, the respective torsion rod spring may at the same time form the shaft common to the two pinions of a gear set. Inasmuch as such torsion rod springs require a certain length, it is advantageous to provide the pinions of each gear set in the direction of their longitudinal axes with outwardly extending hubs. These hubs have the inner surface of their axial bores splined for engagement with correspondingly splined portions of the torsion rod spring.

The torsion spring force between the pinions of each gear set is advantageously so selected that a movement of the pinions relative to each other in circumferential direction will be effected only when a pinion of the respective set is under an overload so that the excess of the load can be transferred to the other gear sets. The same operation is repeated with the other gear sets if the other gear sets are under a non-uniform load.

The resilient connection between the gears of each gear set makes possible that the piston of the rotary piston internal combustion engine is moved or turned out of its basic position. In order to prevent an undue turning or dephasing of the piston away from its basic position, the torsion resilient connection between the pinions of each 'ice gear set must not be too weak. In order to prevent too great a dephasing of the piston, according to a further feature of the present invention, the pinions of the gear sets have those faces thereof which face each other provided with jaws similar to the jaws of a jaw clutch. In the present case, however, the jaws interengage with unilateral play. In this way a limitation of the deviation of the pinions of each individual gear set will be obtained. In order to make sure that too great a dephasing of the piston will be avoided, according to the present invention, the jaws will due to the torsion resilient interconnection of the pinions engage each other under preload. This preload can easily be adjusted by wedgeshaped fitting members between the jaws.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it is assumed that the various parts shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 pertain to a rotary piston internal combustion engine, for instance of the type disclosed in US. patent application Serial No. 241,115 filed November 29, 1962, according to which the outer contour of the piston is designed in conformity with the inner enveloping curve of an epitrochoid. The epitrochoid has two axis-near Zones or lobe portions. In conformity with this epitrochoid and the kinematic between the piston and the eccentric, the piston has three Zenith edges by means of which through the intervention of sealing strips it seals against the inner confining surface of the enveloping body or housing. The inner confining surface of the enveloping body has the contour of an epitrochoid or equidistant to said epitrochoid.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 comprise a piston 1 journalled on an eccentric 2 by means of a bearing bush ing 5. The eccentric 2 forms a part of an eccentric shaft 3 journalled in the outer side walls 4 of the circular piston internal combustion engine.

The kinematic guiding or control of piston 1 relative to the inner confining surface of the enveloping body or housing is effected by a plurality of gear sets interposed between a gear ring 7 and a stationary gear ring 8, Each gear set has two gears 9 and 10.

As will be evident from FIG. 1, such gear sets are arranged at both sides of piston 1. The stationary gear rings 8 are connected to the respective inner side wall portions 11 of the rotary piston internal combustion engine against which piston 1 laterally seals and which is laterally fixedly connected to a housing body as. disclosed for instance in US. patent application Serial No. 263,091 filed March 4, 1963, now Patent No. 3,139,836. The transmission ratio between the gear ring 7 on piston 1 and the gear ring 8 through the gear set comprising the pinions 9 and 10 is so selected that the eccentric runs ahead of the piston 1 at the ratio of 3:1.

The gear sets are supported by and journalled in the eccentric 2. To this end, corresponding bearings 12 and 13 are provided for the hubs 14 and 15 of the pinions 9 and 10 respectively. The pinions 9 and 10 are interconnected by torsion spring means and preferably, as shown in the drawings, by a shaft 16 forming a torsion spring shaft. Shaft 16 engages by means of the splined sections 16 at each end thereof correspondingly splined sections 17 in the hubs 14, 15 of the respective adjacent pinions 9 and 10.

The pinions 9 and 10 have those surfaces thereof which face each other provided with jaws 19 and 18 respectively similar to the jaws of a jaw clutch. These jaws, however, engage each other with unilateral play. The jraws 18 and 19, due to the torsion resilient connection of the pinions 9 and 10 with each other, are engaging each other under preload. To faciliate the installation, pinion 10 is by means of screws 20 detachably connected to its hub 15.

As will be evident from FIGS. 3 and 4, the preload at which the jaws 18 and 19 engage each other may be effected to interposed wedge-shaped members 21 which are held in their respective position by a ring 22. In order to assure a proper power transmission between the pinions and their hubs 15, between each hub and pinion 10 there is provided a ring 23 which has a splined engagement with hub 15 and pinion 10. One of these splined tooth systems is designated with the reference numeral 24 whereas the other splined tooth system is supplied with the reference numeral 25. The splined tooth systems 24 and 25 are so designed that one of the same has one tooth notch less than the other. This makes possible at any desired preload of the torsion spring 16 to bring pinions 9 and It) into meshing engagement with the inner teeth 7 of piston 1 and the gear ring 8. In order to permit a turning of the pinions It with regard to the hubs 15, the pinions 10 are provided with oblong holes 26 for the passage of screws therethrough.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the accompanying drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rotary piston machine, especially rotary piston internal combustion engine: a rotatable shaft with an eccentric, a piston journalled on said eccentric and provided with first gear means, housing means surrounding said piston and provided with second gear means, and a gear set supported by said eccentric and comprising two pinions respectively meshing with said first and second gear means, said gear set also including torsion spring means interconnecting said pinions.

2. In a rotary piston machine, especially rotary piston internal combustion engine: a rotatable shaft with an eccentric, a piston journalled on said eccentric and provided with first gear means, housing means surrounding said piston and provided with second gear means, and a plurality of gear sets supported by said eccentric and each comprising two axially aligned pinions respectively meshing with said first and second gear means and also comprising torsion spring means interconnecting the axially aligned pinions of the respective gear set, said torsion spring means forming the common shaft for the two axially aligned pinions of the respective gear set.

3. In a rotary piston machine, especially rotary piston internal combustion engine: a rotatable shaft with an eccentric, a piston journalled on said eccentric and provided with first gear means, housing means surrounding said piston and provided with second gear means, and a gear set supported by said eccentric and comprising two substantially axially aligned pinions meshing with said first and second gear means and having an axial bore therethrough, each of said gear means being provided with a hollow hub having a splined inside surface, said gear set also including torsion bar spring means extending through said bores and being provided with splined sections engaging said splined inside surf-aces.

4. In a rotary piston machine, especially rotary piston internal combustion engine: a rotatable shaft with an eccentric, a piston journalled on said eccentric and provided with first gear means, housing means surrounding said piston and provided with second gear means, and a gear set supported by said eccentric and comprising two substantially axially aligned pinions respectively meshing with said first and second gear means, said gear set also including torsion spring means interconnecting said pinions, those faces of said pinions which face each other being provided with jaws interengaging each other with unilateral play, said torsion spring means normally maintaining said jaws engaged with each other under a preload.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, which icludes wedge means interposed between two adjacent jaws, and ring means extending around said jaws and holding said wedge means in their respective position, one of said pinions being provided with a hub adjustably connected thereto.

6. An arrangement according to claim 4, in which one of said pinions comprises two sections, one of said sections forming a hub and being adjustable relative to the other section in circumferential direction thereof, and screw means detachably and adjustably interconnecting said two sections.

7. In a rotary piston machine, especially rotary piston internal combustion engine: a rotatable shaft having an eccentric, a piston journalled on said eccentric and provided with first gear means, housing means surrounding said piston and provided with second gear means, a gear set supported by said eccentric and comprising two substantially axially aligned pinions respectively meshing with said first and second gear means, torsion spring means interconnecting said pinions while holding the same under preload, one of said pinions comprising three sections adjustable relative to each other, namely a pinion gear section having a serrated bore and a hub section with an outer serrated surface and an intermediate ring section interposed between said pinion gear section and said hub section and provided with a peripheral serrated surface engaging said serrated bore, said intermediate ring section also having an inner serrated surface engaging the outer serrated surface of said hub section, one of the serrated surfaces of said intermediate section having one tooth more than the other serrated surface of said intermediate section, and connecting means for adjustably interconnecting said three sections.

No references cited.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL LEVINE, Examiner.

F. T. SADLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROTARY PISTON MACHINE, ESPECIALLY ROTARY PISTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE: A ROTATABLE SHAFT WITH AN ECCENTRIC, A PISTON JOURNALLED ON SAID ECCENTRIC AND PROVIDED WITH FIRST GEAR MEANS, HOUSING MEANS SURROUNDING SAID PISTON AND PROVIDED WITH SECOND GEAR MEANS, AND A GEAR SET SUPPORTED BY SAID ECCENTRIC AND COMPRISING TWO PINIONS RESPECTIVELY MESHING WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEANS, SAID GEAR SET ALSO INCLUDING TORSION SPRING MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID PINIONS. 